Upgrade your skills from Windows2003 to Windows 2008 !

Get certified from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008 – today!

The Windows Server 2008 certifications are part of the new generation of Microsoft certifications, which emphasize primary skill sets and job roles, providing a more relevant, flexible, and cost-effective way to validate core technical, professional, and architectural skills.

Microsoft Certified Systems Administrators (MCSAs) and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers (MCSEs) in Windows Server 2003 can quickly and easily transfer their skills to achieve Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) accreditation on Windows Server 2008. The MCTS credential enables professionals to target specific technologies and distinguish themselves by demonstrating in-depth knowledge and expertise in those technologies.

By becoming a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) on Windows Server 2008 you can help your organization take advantage of advanced server technology with the power to increase the flexibility of your server infrastructure, save time, and reduce costs. Transition certifications are available today for Windows Server 2003 certified professionals, while full certification paths will be available soon after the Windows Server 2008 product release.

Upgrading Your MCSA on Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008, Technology Specialist - Exam 70-648

Professionals with an MCSA on Windows Server 2003 must pass one exam to become an MCTS on Windows Server 2008. If you are an MCSA and pass Exam 70-648, you will earn two distinct MCTS certifications:

• MCTS: Windows Server 2008 – Active Directory Configuration
• MCTS: Windows Server 2008 – Network Infrastructure Configuration

The MCTS certifications earned with Exam 70-648 are credit toward the following Professional Series certifications:

• MCITP: Server Administrator
• MCITP: Enterprise Administrator

Link to the exam info page:
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/exams/70-648.mspx

Exam 70-648 Classroom training

In order to achieve the skills and knowledge required to pass the 70-648 exam, the student should complete the following instructor-led courses:

1. Course 6415A: Updating your Network Infrastructure Technology Skills to Windows Server 2008 (three days)
   
2. Course 6416A: Updating your Active Directory Technology Skills to Windows Server 2008 (three days)

During the second half of 2008, Microsoft will release a one, 5-day course, that will replace the above courses:

1. Course 6416B: Updating your Network Infrastructure and Active Directory Technology Skills to Windows Server 2008 (five days)

Exam 70-648 topics covered

Exam 70-648 is an upgrade exam that is a composite of two stand-alone exams: 70-640 and 70-642. Exam 70-648 will validate skills related to the core technology features and functionality of Windows Server 2008, from the existing knowledge base of an MCSA on Windows Server 2003.

70-640: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring

• Configuring Server Roles (30 percent)
• Maintaining the Active Directory Environment (32 percent)
• Configuring the Active Directory Infrastructure (38 percent)

70-642: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuring

• Configuring Network Access (49 percent)
• Deploying Servers (51 percent)

Upgrading Your MCSE on Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008, Technology Specialist - Exam 70-649

Professionals with an MCSE on Windows Server 2003 must pass one exam to become an MCTS on Windows Server 2008. If you are an MCSE and pass Exam 70-649, you will earn three distinct MCTS certifications:

• MCTS: Windows Server 2008 – Active Directory Configuration
• MCTS: Windows Server 2008 – Network Infrastructure Configuration
• MCTS: Windows Server 2008 – Application Platform Configuration

The MCTS certifications earned with Exam 70-649 are credit toward the following Professional Series certifications:

• MCITP: Server Administrator
• MCITP: Enterprise Administrator

Link to the exam info page:
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/exams/70-649.mspx

Exam 70-649 Classroom training

In order to achieve the skills and knowledge required to pass the 70-649 exam, the student should complete the following instructor-led courses:

1. Course 6415A: Updating your Network Infrastructure Technology Skills to Windows Server 2008 (three days)
   
2. Course 6416A: Updating your Active Directory Technology Skills to Windows Server 2008 (three days)
   
3. Course 6417A: Updating Your Application Platform Technology Skills to Windows Server 2008 (three days)

During the second half of 2008, Microsoft will release 2 new courses that will replace the above courses:

1. Course 6416B: Updating your Network Infrastructure and Active Directory Technology Skills to Windows Server 2008 (five days)
   
2. Course 6417B: Updating Your Application Platform Technology Skills to Windows Server 2008 (three days)

Exam 70-649 topics covered

Exam 70-649 is an upgrade exam that is a composite of three stand-alone exams: 70-640, 70-642, and 70-643. Exam 70-649 will validate skills related to the core technology features and functionality of Windows Server 2008, from the existing knowledge base of an MCSE on Windows Server 2003.

70-640: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring

• Configuring Server Roles (30 percent)
• Maintaining the Active Directory Environment (32 percent)
• Configuring the Active Directory Infrastructure (38 percent)

70-642: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuring

• Configuring Network Access (49 percent)
• Deploying Servers (51 percent)

70-643: Windows Server 2008 Applications, Configuring

• Configuring Terminal Services (32 percent)
• Configuring a Web Services Infrastructure (30 percent)
• Configuring Security for Web Services (38 percent)

Windows Server 2008 Release to Manufacturing

Windows Server 2008 is RTM

After more than 3 years of hard work and with over 5000 people working full time on it, Windows Server 2008 was finally released to manufacturing (RTM) and will be available for purchase to new customers on March 1, 2008. ISO images can already be downloaded from the Microsoft Connect Site, and from the MSDN Download Center.

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 is the most advanced Windows Server operating system yet, designed to power the next-generation of networks, applications, and Web services. Windows Server 2008 builds on the success and strengths of its Windows Server predecessors while delivering valuable new functionality and powerful improvements to the base operating system.

With new Web tools, virtualization technologies, security enhancements, and management utilities help save time, reduce costs, and provide a solid foundation for your IT infrastructure.

Quote From Microsoft.com

Windows Server 2008 Edition Summaries

Windows Server 2008 Edition Summaries
Edition	Summary
	Windows Server 2008 is the most robust Windows Server operating system to date. With built-in, enhanced Web and virtualization capabilities, it is designed to increase the reliability and flexibility of your server infrastructure while helping save time and reduce costs. Powerful tools give you greater control over your servers and streamline configuration and management tasks. Plus, enhanced security features work to harden the operating system to help protect your data and network and provide a solid, highly-dependable foundation for your business.
	Windows Server 2008 Enterprise delivers an enterprise-class platform for deploying business-critical applications. Help improve availability with clustering and hot-add processor capabilities. Help improve security with consolidated identity management features. Reduce infrastructure costs by consolidating applications with virtualization licensing rights. Windows Server 2008 Enterprise provides the foundation for a highly dynamic, scalable IT infrastructure.
	Windows Server 2008 Datacenter delivers an enterprise-class platform for deploying business-critical applications and large-scale virtualization on small and large servers. Improve availability with clustering and dynamic hardware partitioning capabilities. Reduce infrastructure costs by consolidating applications with unlimited virtualization licensing rights. Scale from 2 to 64 processors. Windows Server 2008 Datacenter provides a foundation on which to build enterprise-class virtualization and scale-up solutions.
	Designed to be used specifically as a single-purpose Web server, Windows Web Server 2008 delivers on a rock solid foundation of Web infrastructure capabilities in the next generation Windows Server 2008. Integrated with the newly re-architected IIS 7.0, ASP.NET, and the Microsoft .NET Framework, Windows Web Server 2008 enables any organization to rapidly deploy Web pages, Web sites, Web applications, and Web services.
	Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems is optimized for large databases, line of business and custom applications providing high availability and scalability up to 64 processors to meet the needs of demanding and mission critical solutions.
	Windows Server 2008 is the most robust Windows Server operating system to date. It is designed to increase the reliability and flexibility of your server infrastructure while helping save time and reduce costs. Powerful tools give you greater control over your servers and streamline configuration and management tasks. Plus, enhanced security features work to harden the operating system to help protect your data and network and provide a solid, highly-dependable foundation for your business. This product does not include Windows Server Hyper-V.
	Windows Server 2008 Enterprise delivers an enterprise-class platform for deploying business-critical applications. Improve availability with clustering and hot-add processor capabilities. Improve security with consolidated identity management features. Reduce infrastructure costs by consolidating applications with virtualization licensing rights. Windows Server 2008 Enterprise provides the foundation for a highly dynamic, scalable IT infrastructure. This product does not include Windows Server Hyper-V.
	Windows Server 2008 Datacenter delivers an enterprise-class platform for deploying business-critical applications and large-scale virtualization on small and large servers. Improve availability with clustering and dynamic hardware partitioning capabilities. Reduce infrastructure costs by consolidating applications with unlimited virtualization licensing rights. Scale from 2 to 64 processors. Windows Server 2008 Datacenter provides a foundation on which to build enterprise-class virtualization and scale-up solutions. This product does not include Windows Server Hyper-V

Quote From : Microsoft.com

Hyper-V: A Key Feature of Windows Server 2008

Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V is the hypervisor-based virtualization feature included as a role of Windows Server 2008. It contains everything needed to support machine virtualization. Hyper-V enables IT organizations to reduce costs, to improve server utilization and to create a more-dynamic IT infrastructure. Hyper-V provides the greater flexibility because of dynamic, reliable and scalable platform capabilities combined with a single set of integrated management tools to manage both physical and virtual resources, which enables you to create an agile and dynamic datacenter and progress toward achieving self-managing dynamic systems.

In addition to Hyper-V, Microsoft is also releasing Microsoft Hyper-V Server. Microsoft Hyper-V Server provides a simplified, reliable, cost-effective and optimized virtualization solution enabling customers to reduce costs, to improve server utilization and to provision new servers rapidly. Microsoft Hyper-V Server easily plugs into customers' IT infrastructures as they can leverage their existing management tools and IT professional skill set with broad support from Microsoft and its partners.

Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V is now available as in Beta with Windows Server 2008 RC1. You can now start evaluating the Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V platform which is easy to adopt, learn and use, because of the easy migration from Virtual Server 2005 environments, and it works with your existing IT infrastructure and management tools.

Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Scenarios

Virtualize multiple operating systems—Windows, Linux, and others—on a single server and fully leverage the power of x64 computing. With virtualization built into the operating system and with simpler, more flexible licensing policies, it’s now easier than ever to take advantage of all the benefits and cost savings of virtualization. Windows Server 2008 provides you with the flexibility to create an agile and dynamic datacenter to meet your changing business needs.

Hyper-V enables four core scenarios: Server consolidation, business continuity, test and development, and dynamic datacenter. Combined with Microsoft System Center management suite, you can now have a complete and integrated server management solution that works with virtual machines and physical servers and helps extend the platform capabilities of Hyper-V.

Server consolidation

One of the leading drivers for adoption of virtualization technology is server consolidation. Businesses are under pressure to ease management and reduce costs while retaining and enhancing competitive advantages, such as flexibility, reliability, scalability, and security. The fundamental use of virtualization to help consolidate many servers on a single system while maintaining isolation helps address these demands. One of the main benefits of server consolidation is lower TCO, not just from lowering hardware requirements but also from power and cooling costs and management costs. Another benefit is from optimizing infrastructure, both from an asset utilization standpoint as well as the ability to balance workloads across different resources. A softer benefit of server consolidation is improved flexibility of the overall environment and the ability to freely integrate 32-bit and 64-bit workloads in the same environment.

Business continuity and disaster recovery
Business continuity is the ability to minimize both scheduled and unscheduled downtime. That includes time lost to routine functions, such as maintenance and backup, as well as unanticipated outages. Hyper-V includes powerful business continuity features such as live backup and quick migration, enabling businesses to meet stringent uptime and response metrics.

Disaster recovery is a key component of business continuity. Natural disasters, malicious attacks, and even simple configuration problems like software conflicts can cripple services and applications until administrators resolve the problems and restore any backed up data. Leveraging the clustering capabilities of Windows Server 2008, Hyper-V now provides support for disaster recovery (DR) within IT environments and across datacenters using geographically dispersed clustering capabilities. Rapid and reliable disaster and business recovery helps ensure minimal data loss and powerful remote management capabilities.

Test and development
Test and development are frequently the first business functions to take advantage of virtualization technology. Using virtual machines, development staffs can create and test a wide variety of scenarios in a safe, self-contained environment that accurately approximates the operation of physical servers and clients. Hyper-V maximizes utilization of test hardware, reducing costs, improving life cycle management, and improving test coverage. With extensive guest OS support and checkpoint features, Hyper-V provides a great platform for your test and development environments.

Dynamic datacenter
Hyper-V, together with your existing system management solutions, such as Microsoft System Center, helps realize the dynamic datacenter vision of providing self-managing dynamic systems and operational agility. With features like flexible resource control and quick migration, you can create a dynamic IT environment that leverages virtualization to not only respond to problems, but to anticipate increased demands.

Key Features of Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V

Hyper-V, the next-generation hypervisor-based server virtualization technology in Windows Server 2008, helps address many virtualization business challenges. You can now create virtual machines that can leverage available hardware, run multiple operating systems, and manage both virtual and physical resources using the same industry-standard tools.

Key Hyper-V features include:

New and improved architecture: New 64-bit micro-kernelized hypervisor architecture enables Hyper-V to provide a broad array of device support and improved performance and security.

Broad OS support: Broad support for simultaneously running different types of operating systems, including 32-bit and 64-bit systems across different server platforms, such as Windows and Linux.

SMP support: Ability to support up to 4 multiple processors (SMP) in a virtual machine environment to enable you to take full advantage of multi-threaded applications in a virtual machine.

Memory support: Support for large memory allocation per virtual machine enables you to now virtualize most workloads, making Hyper-V an ideal platform for both enterprises and small to medium businesses alike.

Improved storage access: With pass-through disk access and broad support for SAN and internal disk access, Hyper-V provides greater flexibility in configuring and utilizing storage environments optimally.

Network load balancing: With the new virtual service provider/virtual service client (VSP/VSC) architecture, Hyper-V provides improved performance and utilization of core resources such as disk, networking, video, etc.

New hardware sharing architecture: With the new virtual service provider/virtual service client (VSP/VSC) architecture, Hyper-V provides improved access and utilization of core resources such as disk, networking, video, etc.

Quick migration: Hyper-V enables you to rapidly migrate a running virtual machine from one physical host system to another with minimal downtime, leveraging familiar high-availability capabilities of Windows Server and System Center management tools.

Linux integration components: Beta Linux integration components are now available for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1 x86 and x64 Editions. These integration components enable Xen-enabled Linux to take advantage of the VSP/VSC architecture and provide improved performance. Beta Linux Integration components are available for immediate download through connect.microsoft.com.

Virtual machine snapshot: Hyper-V provides the ability to take snapshots of a running virtual machine so you can easily revert to a previous state and improve the overall backup and recoverability solution.

Scalability: With support for multiple processors and cores at the host level and improved memory access within virtual machines, you can now vertically scale your virtualization environment to support a large number of virtual machines within a given host and continue to leverage quick migration for scalability across multiple hosts.

Extensible: Standards-based Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) interfaces and APIs in Hyper-V enable independent software vendors and developers to quickly build custom tools, utilities, and enhancements for the virtualization platform.

Quote From Microsoft.com

Managing Windows 2008 Server Core through RDP

As described in my previous articles, Windows Server 2008 has an interesting option to install it with a minimal graphical user interface (or GUI for short). This method of installation is called "Server Core", and it allows an administrator to only install the minimum binaries required to run a specific server role (currently, there are 9 possible Server Core roles).

Although Server Core has no real GUI (except a few tools such as Task Manager), we still need to access it locally in order to run configuration and diagnostic commands on it. Some of these commands are accessible via remote MMC snap-ins, run from remote management workstations or servers. However, some commands need to be run only on the local Command Prompt, causing us to need to physically have access to the Server Core server.

This can be avoided by enabling the machine running Server Core to allow us to remotely connect to it by using the Remote Desktop Protocol client, also known as mstsc. But before we can use it to connect to the machine, we need to make sure the following issues have been dealt with. These requirements are:

• Configuring an IP address
• Configuring a server name
• Configuring an administrator's password
• Configured the server's firewall

You should, but are not required to, also join the server to your domain.

Next, in order to properly configure Server Core to allow ICMP replies, follow these steps:

To manage a server running a Server Core installation by using a terminal server client

1. On the server running a Server Core installation, type the following command at a command prompt:
   
   cscript C:\Windows\System32\ Scregedit.wsf /ar 0
   
   This enables the Remote Desktop for Administration mode to accept connections.
   
   BTW, in order to view your current settings you can type:
   
   cscript C:\Windows\System32\ Scregedit.wsf /ar /v
   
   
   
   If you see "1" in the script output, that means that RDP connections are denied. If you see a "0", they will be allowed.
   
   Note: If you are running the Terminal Services client on a previous version of Windows, you must turn off the higher security level that is set by default in Windows Server 2008. To do this, type the following command at the command prompt:
   
   cscript C:\Windows\System32\Scregedit.wsf /cs 0

To enable remote management from an RDP connection through the firewall

1. To enable remote management from any MMC snap-in, type the following:
   
   netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="Remote Desktop" new enable=yes

To open an RDP session with the Server Core machine

1. On the remote management computer, click Start > Run, type mstsc, and then click OK.
   
2. In Computer, enter the name of the server running a Server Core installation, and click Connect.
   
   
   
3. Log on using an administrator account.
   
   
   
4. When the command prompt appears, you can manage the computer using the Windows command-line tools.
   
   
   
   Note that while you're logged on to the server, the original server console session is locked out.
   
   
   
5. When you have finished remotely managing the computer, type logoff in the command prompt to end your Terminal Server session.

Summary

Windows Server 2008 Server Core installations, like any other servers, require remote management. In order to allow for that, the server's Firewall and registry settings need to be changed. This article showed you how to do that.

Quote From : Petri.co.il

Managing Windows 2008 Server Core Server Roles

A Server Core installation provides a minimal environment for running specific server roles, which reduces the maintenance and management requirements and the attack surface for those server roles. In Windows Server 2008, Server Core installation does not include the traditional full graphical user interface (GUI). Therefore, once you have configured the server, you can only manage it locally at a command prompt, or remotely using a Terminal Server connection. A third management option is to manage the server remotely using the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) or command-line tools that support remote use.

The following list is a compilation of some of the most useful commands allowing you to either locally or remotely manage a Server Core installation. You can use this as a quick reference guide, but as always, reading the full server help for a full guide.

List the available server roles and features

1. To discover the available server roles, open a command prompt and type the following:
   
   oclist
   
   This command lists the server roles and optional features that are available for use with Ocsetup.exe. It also lists the server roles and optional features that are currently installed.

Install the Active Directory Domain Services role

1. To install the Active Directory Domain Services role type:
   
   dcpromo /unattend:<unattendfile>
   
   Where unattendfile is the name of a Dcpromo.exe unattend file.

This command installs the Active Directory Domain Services role and promotes the server to a domain controller by using the settings in the unattend file (which you need to manually create).

Note: Dcpromo.exe can also be used to demote a domain controller to a server.

Install the Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services role

1. To install the AD LDS role type:
   
   start /w ocsetup DirectoryServices-ADAM-ServerCore
   
   Note: Using /w prevents the command prompt from returning until the installation completes. Without /w, there is no indication that the installation completed.
   
   Note: Uninstall the AD LDS role by typing the following at a command prompt:
   
   start /w ocsetup DirectoryServices-ADAM-ServerCore /uninstall

Install the DHCP Server role

1. At a command prompt, type:
   
   start /w ocsetup DHCPServerCore
   
   Note: Using /w prevents the command prompt from returning until the installation completes. Without /w, there is no indication that the installation completed.
   
2. Configure a DHCP scope at the command prompt by using netsh, or by remotely using the DHCP snap-in from Windows Server 2008.
   
3. If the DHCP server is installed in an Active Directory domain, you must authorize it in Active Directory.
   
   Note: The DHCP Server service does not start automatically by default. Use the following procedure to configure it to start automatically and to start the service for the first time.
   
   Note: Uninstall the DHCP Server role by typing the following at a command prompt:
   
   start /w ocsetup DHCPServerCore /uninstall

Configure and start the DHCP Server service

1. At a command prompt, type:
   
   sc config dhcpserver start= auto
   
2. Start the service by typing:
   
   net start dhcpserver

Install the DNS Server role

1. At a command prompt, type:
   
   start /w ocsetup DNS-Server-Core-Role
   
   Note: Using /w prevents the command prompt from returning until the installation completes. Without /w, there is no indication that the installation completed.
   
2. Configure a DNS zone at the command prompt by typing dnscmd or by remotely using the DNS MMC snap-in.
   
   Note: Uninstall the DNS Server role by typing the following at a command prompt:
   
   start /w ocsetup DNS-Server-Core-Role /uninstall

Install File Services role and features

The Server service is installed by default to provide administrative share support for management tools. To install additional file server features use the following commands:

1. For File Replication service, type the following at a command prompt:
   
   start /w ocsetup FRS-Infrastructure
   
   Note: Using /w prevents the command prompt from returning until the installation completes. Without /w, there is no indication that the installation completed.
   
2. For Distributed File System service, type:
   
   start /w ocsetup DFSN-Server
   
3. For Distributed File System Replication, type:
   
   start /w ocsetup DFSR-Infrastructure-ServerEdition
   
4. For Services for Network File System (NFS), type:
   
   start /w ocsetup ServerForNFS-Base
   
   start /w ocsetup ClientForNFS-Base
   
   Note: Uninstall any file server role options by using these commands with the /uninstall option.

Install Print Services role and features

1. For the Print Server feature, type the following at a command prompt:
   
   start /w ocsetup Printing-ServerCore-Role
   
2. For the Line Printer Daemon (LPD) service, type:
   
   start /w ocsetup Printing-LPDPrintService

Add a printer to the print server

1. Determine the IP address or host name of the printer you want to connect to. You can usually obtain this information by looking at the printer's test or printer configuration page.
   
2. Ping the printer from the print server in order to verify that the print server can communicate with the printer through the network.
   
3. On a remote computer running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008, open the Print Management console and add the server running the Server Core installation.
   
4. Expand the entry for the print server running a Server Core installation, right-click Drivers, and then click Add Driver. The Add Printer Driver Wizard starts.
   
5. Complete the wizard to install the printer driver for your printer.
   
6. In the Print Management console, right-click Printers and then click Add Printer. The Network Printer Installation Wizard starts.
   
7. Click Add a TCP/IP or Web Services printer by IP address or hostname and then click Next.
   
8. Enter the printer's host name or IP address (the port name will be the same by default), and then click Next.
   
9. Make any necessary changes to the printer name, contact information, or sharing status, and then click Next.

Install the Streaming Media Services role

1. On another computer, download the Streaming Media Services role installer file from KB 934518
   
2. Copy installerfilename.msi to your Server Core installation.
   
3. Run installerfilename.msi.
   
4. At a command prompt, type:
   
   start /w ocsetup MediaServer
   
   Note: Using /w prevents the command prompt from returning until the installation completes. Without /w, there is no indication that the installation completed.
   
5. On a remote computer, use the Streaming Media Services MMC snap-in to remotely configure Streaming Media Services.

Summary

Server Core can be used to function in several roles (actually, 9 different roles). This article has showed you how to add, remove and configure these roles.

Windows Server 2008 Scenarios

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 is the next generation of the Windows Server operating system, scheduled to be officially released during Q1 2008. Formerly known as "Longhorn Server", Windows Server 2008 is designed to help IT Professionals to maximize control over their infrastructure, while providing enhanced availability and management capabilities, leading to a significantly more secure, reliable server environment than ever before. This is not just one of Microsoft's sales pitches, over exaggerating the benefits for the new OS. The benefits included in Windows Server 2008 are real, and they are already available today (this article was written while Windows Server 2008 was in RC0 phase). Windows Server 2008 is the most flexible and robust Windows Server operating system to date.

Quoting from Microsoft's site, Windows Server 2008 builds on the success and strengths of the award-winning Windows Server 2003 operating system and on the innovations delivered in Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2003 R2. However, Windows Server 2008 is far more than a refinement of predecessor operating systems. Windows Server 2008 is designed to provide organizations with the most productive platform for powering applications, networks, and Web services from the workgroup to the datacenter with exciting, valuable new functionality and powerful improvements to the base operating system.

By making all these functional and architectural changes, Windows Server 2008 is designed to deliver new value to organizations by ensuring that all users regardless of location are able to get the full complement of services from the network, with lower risk to data integrity and availability. Windows Server 2008 also gives IT Professionals greater control over their server and network infrastructure, allowing them to spend more time adding business value, rather than spending most of their time on administration tasks.

Windows Server 2008 is designed to help the IT professional in these areas, also called "scenarios": Server Virtualization, Centralized Application Access, Branch Office, Security and Policy Enforcement, Web and Applications Platform, Server Management, and High Availability.

1. Server Virtualization: With its built-in server virtualization technology, allowing you to host multiple operating systems—Windows, Linux and others—on a single server, Windows Server 2008 enables you to reduce costs, increase hardware utilization, optimize your infrastructure, and improve server availability. The virtualization role provides an entirely new deployment and licensing paradigm to enable multiple operating system instances to run in a virtual infrastructure separated from the hardware by a slim “hypervisor” of virtualization technology. The benefits of virtualization are accomplished using server consolidation. This helps reduce the total number and cost of server ownership by maximizing hardware utilization and consolidating workloads. Improved management capabilities allow IT Professionals to create a “dynamic data center” to move virtual machines without impacting the users and to provide flexible test and development environments.
   
2. Centralized Application Access: Windows Server 2008 provides secure anywhere access to business applications over the Internet using Terminal Services. New in Windows Server 2008 - Terminal Services RemoteApp integrates applications running on a terminal server with users' desktops such that they behave as if they were running on an individual user's local computer, including Task Manager and toolbar integration, and even balloon tip pop-ups. Users can run programs from a remote location side-by-side with their local programs without knowing that these applications are in fact not run locally. Redesigned Terminal Services Web Access permits this same flexibility of remote application access via Web browser, allowing the user to connect to the TS without the need to install the local Remote Desktop client. With Terminal Services Gateway, Terminal Services provides secure access to both remote and network-based users to applications that are centralized and secured in the data center. This access removes the need for application servers at distributed locations and provides secure access to terminal services without needing to enable full network access using VPN or other mechanisms.
   
3. Branch Office: Windows Server 2008 fits in a branch Office scenario with several features like better remote deployment and administration. Windows Server 2008 allows organizations to improve security, server deployment, system administration, and the efficiency of WAN communications in branch offices. Enhancements to branch office features are enabled by Active Directory with Read-Only Domain Controller – allowing the creation of a read-only DC that can service users' logon requests but does not cache security-sensitive information locally on its drive. Furthermore, restartable Active Directory allows the branch office administrator to stop and start AD-related services on the DC without the need to re-boot the server into DS Restore Mode. SYSVOL replication using DFS; File Services with SMB 2.0 and read-only DFS members allow for better traffic control and reduced WAN overhead. BitLocker Drive Encryption, Server Core (see related articles on my site), and Windows Server Virtualization are also parts of this scenario
   
4. Security and Policy Enforcement: Security is greatly enhanced in the Windows Server 2008 operating system through security roles, Network Access Protection, central policy management, and secure wireless and remote access solutions. With Windows Server 2008, IT Professionals can check the health of computers, and enforce application layer data inspection by checking for malware; simplify administrative tasks, such as system updates and application installations; and enable one-to-many management of users and computers throughout the enterprise. The IT staff can also create a Group Policy to control access, use policy-based quality of service to prioritize and manage the sending rate for outgoing network traffic, and filter outgoing and incoming traffic. Group Policy settings can also provide enhanced secure wireless network access to networks. Security and policy-enforcements in Windows Server 2008 are enabled by Network Access Protection, Internet Protocol security (IPsec) improvements, network authentication methods (IEEE 802.1X, VPN, DHCP, RADIUS), a Network Access Protection (NAP) Administration Server, System Health Validator / System Health Agent, a Health Certificate Server, and Group Policy features.
   
5. Web and Applications Platform: Windows Server 2008 provides a secure, easy-to-manage platform for developing and reliably hosting applications and services to run on the server or over the Web. With Windows Server 2008 enterprises will enjoy more efficient application and services management, quicker deployment and configuration of Web application and services across server farms, and a more secure, streamlined, customized Web platform. Windows Server 2008 provides greater performance and scalability of Web applications and services, and offers fine control and visibility into how and when applications and services utilize key operating system resources. Windows Server 2008 delivers a unified platform for Web publishing that integrates Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0, ASP.NET, Windows Communication Foundation, Windows Workflow Foundation, and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.
   
6. Server Management: Windows Server 2008 improves the management experience of single and multiple servers across an enterprise. The new Server Manager console in Windows Server 2008 is a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in that eases the task of managing and securing multiple server roles in an enterprise. Server Manager replaces and consolidates a number of features from Microsoft Windows Server 2003 such as Manage Your Server, Configure Your Server, and Add or Remove Windows Components. Server Manager provides a single source for managing a server's identity and system information, displaying server status, identifying problems with server role configuration, and managing all of the roles installed on the server. Information provided by Server Manager gives IT Professionals the specific information they need to control and manage their environment. Multiple servers can be automated using Windows PowerShell, which consists of a new command-line shell and scripting language designed specifically to automate administration tasks for server roles, such as IIS and Active Directory. Using Windows PowerShell that enables administrator to more easily control and securely automate routine system administration tasks, especially across multiple servers. Another means of server management is the Windows Remote Shell (WinRS) tool, allowing IT Pros to remotely manage servers, or to obtain management data through Windows Remote Management (WinRM) and Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) objects on remote servers. Server Core provides a minimal installation option for certain server roles, offering a smaller server footprint and attack surface to reduce management and servicing needs. While the Server Core installation option is a fully functioning mode of the operating system supporting one of the designate roles, it does not include the server graphic user interface (GUI). Read more about Server Core on my related articles section.
   
7. High Availability: Windows Server 2008 provides increased system availability to maximize system uptime and increase productivity. By actively monitoring the state of installed roles and displaying proactive data about potential failures, it helps IT Professionals reduce potential downtime. Failover Clustering as part of Windows Server 2008 provides new features that an organization can use to implement a High Availability strategy, making cluster servers a smart business choice for the enterprise. A new cluster creation wizard and management interface provides the IT professional with a simple interface to create, manage, and use clustered servers. New tools reduce cluster configuration setup and maintenance issues. By using the new Validate Tool in failover clusters, you can perform tests to determine whether your system, storage, and network configuration is suitable for a cluster. New functionality allows implementation in geographically dispersed environments, allowing the technology to adapt to the customer’s environment.

Summary

Windows Server 2008 provides new functionality and powerful improvements over Windows Server 2003. Notable improvements include networking, advanced security features, remote application access, centralized server role management, performance and reliability monitoring tools, failover clustering, deployment, and the file system. These improvements help IT Professionals maximize the flexibility, availability, and control of their servers.